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Fentanyl Fatality Victim Summit ROBESON County, Pembroke NC

WhenSaturday, September 21, 2024, 10:30am โ€“ 3:30pm. Doors open 10 AM
WhereBear Swamp Baptist Church, 1948 St. Anna Road, Pembroke, NC
WhoGuest Speakers: Senator Britt, Representative Lowery, District Attorney Scott, Sheriff Wilkins & 40+ NC Fentanyl Victim Families available for on-site interviews

***Private Event. Must pre-register. Press permitted with credentials. Free On-Site Lunch Provided***

Contacts

Host:Barb Walsh, Executive Director, 919-614-3830,ย barb@fentvic.org
Fentanyl Victims Network of NC (fentvic.org), 501(c)(3) EIN 88-3921380ย www.fentvic.org
Regional Co-Host: Leslie Locklear, President, Fight4Me Foundation, 910-733-9788,ย info@fight4mefoundation.orgย 501(c)(3) EIN: 92-2765832ย www.fight4mefoundation.org

Click here or scan QR code to register.

Trump signs bill making tough sentences for fentanyl trafficking permanent

Read the original article on the USA Today website.

Nearly 73,000 people died from overdosing synthetic opioids such as fentanyl, according to the government.

WASHINGTON โ€“ President Donald Trump signed a law that extends tougher prison sentences for fentanyl trafficking, surrounded by relatives of people who died from overdoses and lawmakers who approved the bill.

โ€œToday we strike a righteous blow to the drug dealers, narcotic traffickers and criminal cartels,โ€ Trump said. โ€œWe take a historic step toward justice for every family touched by the fentanyl scourge.โ€

The law places fentanyl on the Drug Enforcement Administrationโ€™s list of most serious drugs with no accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse. The list includes drugs such as heroin, cocaine and LSD. Fentanyl has been temporarily assigned to the Schedule 1 category since 2018. The law makes the designation permanent.

The law also makes permanent mandatory minimum penalties of five years in prison for trafficking 10 grams of fentanyl and 10 years for 100 grams.

โ€œIt doesnโ€™t sound like much, but itโ€™s a big deal,” Trump said.

The Department of Homeland Security seized 27,000 pounds of fentanyl and arrested 3,600 criminal suspects in 2024.

More than 105,000 people nationwide died of drug overdoses in 2023, including nearly 73,000 from synthetic opioids such as fentanyl, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

The crackdown on fentanyl distribution is also at the heart of current U.S. trade disputes with China, Mexico and Canada. Trump imposed tariffs on those countries, citing the threat of cross-border fentanyl trafficking.

โ€œWe are delivering another defeat for the savage drug smugglers and criminals and the cartels,” Trump said.

Parents of several people who died after overdosing on fentanyl spoke at the event.

Anne Fundner, whose 15-year-old son Weston died of an accidental fentanyl overdose in 2022, previously spoke at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee last year.

“It is a lifeline for families across America for keeping our families safe,” Fundner said of the legislation. โ€œThis is what we voted for, Mr. President.”

Gregory Swan, whose 24-year-old son Drew died of fentanyl poisoning, started a group known as Fentanyl Fathers, in which parents tell their story to high schools across America.

โ€œHis passing ruined, I thought, my life,โ€ Swan said. โ€œThereโ€™s despair and thereโ€™s hopelessness. But weโ€™ve been able to find some repose in going out and advocating.โ€

Google to block promotion of pill presses on ads and shopping platforms

Read the article on the Partnership for Safe Medicines website.

On July 1, Googleย announcedย that it was updating itsย dangerous products and services policyย to restrict the promotion of pill presses, encapsulating machines and components they use, such as dies, molds and stamps used to create or imprint pills. The change willย affect the Google Ads and Google Shopping platformsย starting in September 2025, with six weeks until full implementation.

Contents-Bar-Pill-presses

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that states and tribes proposing importation programs can use โ€œa static baseline approach for the cost-savings analysisโ€ instead of trying to account for changes in unpredictable markets.

ENC law enforcement trains in Morehead City on death by distribution cases

Read the original article and watch the video on the WCTI News 12 website.

Law enforcement officials from across eastern North Carolina gathered in Morehead City to enhance their understanding of death by distribution cases. Carteret County officials emphasized the importance of this training.

Officers, detectives, and deputies from Carteret and Craven counties convened at the Morehead City Police Department to stay informed on trends and strategies for handling these cases. Sheriff Asa Buck highlighted the local efforts to strengthen their approach since the introduction of the new law in 2019.

“For the past couple of years one of my detectives, Corey Bishop, and Assistant District Attorney David Spence have been putting on this training session โ€” not just here in our county, but across the state in various trainings, homicide investigator events, and other conferences as well,” said Sheriff Buck.

Since 2020, the Carteret County Sheriff’s Office has charged 30 individuals under the death by distribution law, leading the state in such prosecutions. Sheriff Buck and Assistant District Attorney David Spence were present to lead the training and discuss the significance of these cases.

MCPD Charges Man Following Overdose Death Investigation

Read the original article on the Morehead City website.

News Release

Tuesday, April 8, 2025

Bryan Gabriel Mace, of Newport, was charged by the Morehead City Police Department on Thursday, April 3, 2025, with the following offenses:  Death by Distribution (Unlawful delivery), Possession with the Intent to Sell and Deliver a Scheduled II controlled substance, and Delivery of a Scheduled II controlled substance. 

This followed an extensive investigation by the Departmentโ€™s Criminal Investigations Unit, which was launched after the tragic overdose death of Kaitlyn Curry, a Morehead City resident, in July of 2024.  Mace, who was already in custody for related drug charges and probation violations, was subsequently held in the Carteret County Detention Center after his first appearance, where he was given a $750,000 secured bond.

Man arrested after 39-year-old dies from overdose in Union County, police say

Read the original article and watch the video on the WBTV3 website.

MONROE, N.C. (WBTV) – A man was arrested after a 39-year-old died from an overdose in Union County in March, according to police.

Records showed 52-year-old Fredrick Bivens was charged with death by distribution on Saturday, June 28, and given a $1 million bond.

What happened

On March 4, police said they responded to calls for an unresponsive person at a home along Broome Street in Monroe.

Upon arrival, officers said they found Jerry Deese suffering from a medical emergency, and โ€œdespite rapid intervention and lifesaving efforts,โ€ he was pronounced dead.

His death was later determined to be the result of a drug overdose, according to police.

Investigation leads to Bivensโ€™ arrest

After an โ€œextensive investigation,โ€ officers said they identified Bivens as being responsible for supplying the drugs that led to Deeseโ€™s death.

Authorities advised that shortly after identifying Bivens as a suspect, he was apprehended and placed in the Union County Detention Center.

โ€œLet this case serve as a clear message: if you distribute deadly drugs in our community, you will be held accountable,โ€ said Chief Rhett Bolen. โ€œMy department remains fully committed to aggressively pursuing those who profit from narcotics and ensuring they face the consequences of their actions.โ€

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